The Thompson-Nicola Conservation Collaborative (TNCC) and Okanagan Collaborative Conservation Program (OCCP) continue to work together on the multi-year research project Conservation Planning for Climate Change (CPCC). The goal of the project is to combine Indigenous ecological and cultural knowledge and western science to identify priority conservation areas for wetlands and grasslands and establish policy for their protection.

As TNCC enters the third and final year of the CPCC project, we are working with the UBCO research team to finalize key outputs. A working predictive grassland model has been developed and is being refined with the input of field data to train it to achieve greater accuracy. The finalized model will provide a contemporary baseline of grassland communities and condition in the region.

A predictive wetland model has been developed to indicate where on the landscape wetlands exist and their classification. The model has already been found to predict wetlands not mapped in the BC Freshwater Atlas, which have been confirmed in the field. The end products for wetlands will include a model to predict impacts of climate change on wetlands using variables such as changes in water vapour pressure.

Hydrological regimes (e.g., seasonal flooding, semi-permanent flooding or permanent flooding) are being mapped and we will assess how alterations in land cover/land use have impacted wetlands.

Our next phase of work will include expanding on species types of grasslands to indicate “climate envelopes” pointing to shifts in grasslands. We are also working on carbon sequestration estimates within grasslands and, with baseline data established, work is commencing to estimate carbon sequestration in wetlands as well as wetland connectivity and biodiversity.

Hydrological regimes (e.g., seasonally flooded, semi-permanently flooded or permanently flooded) will also be mapped in the Thompson and Okanagan and will be assessed to determine how alterations in land cover/land use have impacted wetlands.

To prepare for the public availability of the project outputs, we are developing a data-sharing agreement and a web-based platform for housing and sharing the data. Stay subscribed to follow the project through its completion.